Red Alert, Israel. Image by twitter

(JTA) — Rockets were fired from Gaza at southern Israel on Tuesday during the signing ceremony in Washington, D.C., of the normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted one of the two rockets, according to the Israeli military.

At least two people were injured by shrapnel near a mall in Ashdod, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported. Several cars also were damaged by shrapnel.

Details of the rocket attack are under investigation, the army said.

Code Red rocket alert sirens sounded in the major southern Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod as the UAE’s foreign minister was speaking at the ceremony.

Earlier on Tuesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz told the Kan public broadcaster that he would  “not rule out the possibility of an outbreak of violence in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), although there is no concrete evidence or warnings, but continued economic distress, fear of the coronavirus and lack of coordination which could lead to a new outbreak.”

Gantz added that “it is important to renew the political dialogue with the Palestinians. We have made peace with a distant state. We should try to solve the problem with the Palestinians as well.”

The post Rockets fired from Gaza at Israel as Israel and UAE sign agreement in Washington appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount